


Lust - Not so deadly after all

by Crystal_Clarity5



Series: The X Files - ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fun, Jokes and madness, Kidnapping, Lea is badass, Supernatural Elements, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25858084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal_Clarity5/pseuds/Crystal_Clarity5
Summary: The aftermath of the virus and the introduction of Lea Harkness.Doctor Miles returns for Dana and Lea, her gift (curse) is what he’s after. He hates it when people say no.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully, Walter Skinner/Lea Harkness (OFC)
Series: The X Files - ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874242
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the support and comments in the last instalment.
> 
> Please enjoy episode 2 :)

It’s been a week. A week and Scully was sill resting. Mulder would call it nothing else. He had fully recovered and had spent the entire week at her bedside, running through the files and notes that was left behind from the previous case. It didn’t make any sense. It appeared that a hidden agenda was trying to peak out through the edges, all wrapped up in a government conspiracy. It was too easy, too detailed. Too good to be true. He noticed Scully’s scribbles and tried to fit the pieces together, tried to see what she saw. Seven days later and he saw nothing but what he was meant to see.

Scully was finally moved back to a hospital in DC when her heart was strong enough. The cracked ribs delaying her recovery only slightly, but the blame lay heavily on him. He blamed himself for her suffering once again, even if her mother denied it outright, he still couldn’t help it. If she had never met him, she would be safe, comfortable and probably on the verge of having a family. She would have been happy.

Mulder groaned and rubbed at his tired eyes, Ms Scully would be here shortly, along with Bill. Bill hadn’t been yet, and Mulder wanted to be out of his way before the storm exploded, but he didn’t want to leave his partner’s side. She might wake up. Soon. Hopefully. He shoved the files back into his overnight bag and took a hold of his partner’s hand once again. “We have to stop meeting like this, Scully.” He whispered, hoping his voice would cause a reaction.

There was nothing.

He sighed and watched the monitors. His mind filled with theories and guesses. He couldn’t remember much from his arousal state, the virus ran rampant and took over. Even his photographic memory had failed him. He blamed it on being unable to focus at the time. His memory filled with Scully and various compromising positions, his fantasies had never felt more real.   
  


Scully’s phone vibrates against the table beside her bed, Mulder had kept it close. Doctor Miles was still not found and he wondered if he would try to make contact with either of them. With this in mind, he answered the phone without looking at the ID.

”Hello?”   
  
  


_“You’re not Dana,”_ a female responded after a second.   
  


“Nice deduction, who am I speaking to?” Mulder stood and began to pave, the phone pressed against his ear.   
  


_“Not gonna happen,”_ DC accent, young, probably Dana’s age, Mulder began to profile without even thinking about it. _“Who’s this and what are you doing with Dana’s phone?”_ Polite, yet dominate, expecting answers. Someone who can take control.

”Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Who am I speaking to?” He tapped the window and motioned to the agent outside to run a trace. This was Scully’s personal phone, and he was being over protective. Not many people had this number and he wasn’t taking any chances.   
  


_“Mulder?”_ She laughed slightly, _“come back to DC she says. It’ll be fun, she says.”_ The woman on the other end just sighed. She was getting annoyed. _“Where’s Dana?”_

”Sa...”

_”If you say safe I’ll shoot you,”_ the woman replied, surprising Mulder slightly. _“Special Agent Harkness at your service. Now, what kind of trouble as that whore gotten herself into now?_ ”

Mulder was shocked. There was no other word for it, “what?”   
  


_“Hush now, put me on speaker. Wherever you go, she goes. Unless you’ve lost her then I will shoot you. Hell hath no fury Mulder.”_   
  


Mulder turned towards Scully in the hospital bed, still not moving but breathing. The agent on the other side of the glass, confirmed the trace was running but Mulder shook his head as he put the phone on speaker. No longer needing the trace, he sighed. “Done.”   
  


_“Oi! Whore-bag, it’s me. Where the bloody hell are you!?”_ The voice was harsh but Mulder noticed the change in the monitors, Scully’s heart rate increased. _“Wait. Is that ... Dana? If you’re hooked up in a hospital bed, I swear I’ll scream. You always get to have all the fun!”_  
  


“Lea,” Scully’s voice whispered and Mulder’s eyebrows raised in shock and relief all at once, “you bitch.”   
  


The woman on the phone laughed, _“thank god you’re ok, now where are you?”_  
  


“General Hospital, DC,” Mulder answered and hung up the phone. “Scully,” he was by her side in an instant, his hand held on to her own as she slowly started to wake. “Who the hell was that?”   
  


Scully forced a smile, “Lea. You’ll like her.” She squeezes his hand and he breathed in relief. Scully will be ok. She was awake, talking and moving and breathing.   
  


Mulder didn’t have time to say anything else before the door to the private room opened and the harsh voice hit him deeply. “What the hell are you doing here!?” It hissed causing Mulder to turn and look at the man that voiced it. His stomach dropped to the floor and he gulped. He wasn’t afraid, he just didn’t want to end up in a fist fight at Scully’s beside.   
  


“Hello Bill,” he replied with fake kindness, a snark etched on his face. That man made his blood boil. They didn’t like each other and that was no secrete, I’ll was a bully. Mulder hates bullies. 


	2. Chapter 2

Lea was fuming. “Bastard hung up on me!” She hissed as she shoves her phone inside her pocket. She picked up her bike helmet and rushed out of Dana’s apartment building. This really wasn’t the weather for bike leathers but she loved the rush. The movers won’t be by till tomorrow anyway so she had time. If only that little whore hadn’t gotten herself into trouble then they’d be laughing and sipping wine by now. 

She put on her helmet and gloves, at least the hospital wasn’t too far from here so she wouldn’t feel like she’s melting for long. Dana would definitely give her a word or ten if she rode her bike without the protective gear, no matter what the weather was like. Lea smiled rose herself and set off towards the hospital. 

Finally, back home in DC, she felt free. Free of the facade that she had to wear. Free from the danger that held her back. Especially being free from her handler, stupid witch that she was. Lea just couldn’t quite get a handle on her and she hated it. Hated that there was something behind those warm eyes. Something dangerous and deadly. 

Lea shivered despite the heat and pulled into the hospital parking lot. She hadn’t seen her closest friend for too long, since having to hide beneath the lies. Her stomach was in knots as she climbed from her bike and removed her helmet, her long blonde hair tied neatly in a French braid. She removed her riding gloves and opened the seat compartment. The best thing about this make and model of bike, it was big enough to store her helmet and gloves so she didn’t have to carry them around everywhere. Before securing them away she removed her government issues gun and clipped to the back of her trousers, making sure that the jacket covered it. She may eb on vacation while her transfer went through, but she would always carry her weapon with her. Old habits are hard to break.

Once everything was secure, she unzipped her jacket to cool down a little and made her way into the hospital ad straight to the reception desk.

“What room is Special Agent Dana Scully in please?” She asked the receptionist politely. Her nerves went up by a few notches the closer she got to her friend.

The reception looked bored as she typed away at the computer. Lea just smiled warmly and waited, “she’s in the private wards, third floor, second door to the left.” The receptionist rattled off and Lea was on her way.

Lea walked with purpose, looking like she owned the place but feeling way out of her depth. Her mental walls had strengthened greatly, hospitals used to be the worst place for her, feeling all the fear, resentment, hope. It made her physically sick. Thank goodness her walls were working, she barley felt anything but her own feelings and it was a blessing. Her own excises and experiments kept her sane enough to function in her everyday life and have a high standing job. She ensured she excelled in everything she did, and not letting anyone know what she could really do. Only a few people understood, and very few of those even believed her.

Finally, Dana’s room was in sight and she let the smile spread on her face as she sped up. The first thing she heard was male voices, each trying to out do the other without actually causing a full-blown argument. Then she heard Dana, trying to calm one of them down.

“Bill, it’s fine.” Dana was saying and Lea stopped in her stride. Her heart hammered against her chest as anger rose within her. She had to take a few deep breaths before moving closer to the open door to Dana’s room.

“He’s not safe to be around Dana.” Bill was saying.

“She’s perfectly safe Bill, I would never …”

“Shut up you freak!” Bill had hissed and Lea stood at the door frame and crossed her arms as she took in the scene before her.

Dana was sat up fully, one male was by the window at the far end of the room, both hands held at his sides, his hand sin fists and his face was trying so hard to remain neutral, but Lea saw the anger in him, she even felt it and she had to harden her walls. She understood, Bill can make a monk lose his patience.

Bill had his back to her. He was ready to fight, she knew that stance. Once it would have excited her in many ways. She just grinned and decided to make her presence known.

“You know, it’ll just be quicker to lob them out and measure them,” she spoke with a smirk on her face. She turned to the man at the window and shrugged at him, “although, if you’re bigger than five inches when aroused, you certainly have that man beat.” She winked and ignored Dana’s snort. She always did that when she tried not to laugh.

Although, when Bill had turned to face her, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little herself. Thank god for photographic memory, that face is just damn perfect.

“Lea?” Bill whispered and his face paled like he had seen a ghost.

“How’s your wife?” Lea snarled. The claws were coming out and she won’t hold back.

“Lea.” Dana warned and Lea finally relaxed a little and made her way into the room, pushing past Bill as she made her way to her friend.

She wrapped her arms around dana as soon as she got to her and breathed a sigh of relief, “how are you?” She asked, moving to look at her for the first time in a long time. Lea felt like crying.

“I’m fine.” Dana smiled back and Lea just rolled her eyes.

“Sure, you are,” Lea didn’t quite believe her so she let her eyes wonder over the machinery, taking in Dana’s stats and then moved to the foot of the bed to look over the notes. She ignored the two men in the room, too much to focus on at the moment. “So, your heart failed, received CPR that cracked a couple of ribs, were shocked and unconscious for the better part of the week.” Lea looked at Dana with a raised brow and a knowing smile. “What have you been doing you naughty girl.” She purred, knowing it would rile Bill up even more.

And she was right, Bill growled in his throat and she saw him out the corner of her eye and made a move toward her. “Touch me even once Bill and I’ll break your fingers.” She said calmly as she put the records back in their holding place then turned to the other man in the room. He was hot, she’d give him that. “I’m Lea Harkness,” she held out a hand with her best charming smile.

“Mulder,” he finally answered after he gave her a once over. He looked a little flushed. Maybe he liked what he saw, who knew. But Lea didn’t give it much thought. She took his hand and pulled him towards her and raised a free hand to slap him across the back of the head. “Ow!” He winced when she released him.

“That’s for hanging up on me.” Lea huffed and made her way to sit in one of the hospital chairs.

“Lea, what are you doing here?” Bill asked, getting annoyed at being ignored no doubt.

“I’m here to see my friend, do you have a problem with that?” She looked him over. He’d gotten old too fast.

“No, I …” He stuttered. His eyes drifted down her chest. Damn her tight tops sometimes. “I just haven’t … I thought that you …”

“Oi!” She snapped her fingers at him, “my eyes are up here arsehole.” She snarled. “just because I loved you once does not give you the right to ogle me.” She lowered her tone to a soft purr that she knew drove him crazy, “what on earth would your wife think if she ever did find out?”

Bill huffed and his face went bright red. “Whatever!” he snapped and finally left, allowing Lea to deflate in the seat and turn to her friend.

“Now, what did I miss?” She asked.

“Lea, there’s something I have to say first,” Dana’s tone changed and Lea folded her arms across her chest, only noticing that Mulder had moved to sit in the chair on the other side of the bed, he was watching them both carefully.

Lea reached out to Dana, letting her walls down only a little and she gasped suddenly, knowing exactly what she wanted to say, “please. Dana. Don’t.” She whispered and reached out for her friend’s hand. “You don’t need to say it, and I don’t need to hear it.”

“Yes, I do.” Dana squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry Lea. I should have believed you.”

Lea let the tears fall freely and smiled at her friend, “you always understood me, you may have rationalised it differently, but you never doubted me. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“There’s something else.” Dana looked at her then and Lea knew instantly and she recoiled at the intensity of those feelings.

“You’re scared.” Lea started and rose up suddenly, she needed to pace. Pacing helped. “No, not scared. Terrified. For me.” She stopped and concentrated, “no, for us. You’ve not felt like that since …” She stopped and held onto the foot of the bed for support. “They’re dead Dana. It’s why you said I could come back. It’s why we got the transfer papers in order. It’s why I have finally got my life back and got away from that bitch of a handler. They’re dead. They think I’m dead. They died thinking I was dead. What are you so afraid of now?”

“They’re not all dead.” Dana’s confession had Lea spinning. Her hands gripped tighter against the bed frame; her knees weakened but she had to know.

“Who?”

“Miles.” Dana whispered and Lea’s word span faster. She couldn’t breathe. The walls closed in around her as absolute terror washed over her.

She focused and closed her eyes tightly against the sudden rush of emotions, “he thinks I’m dead right?”

The ringing of the phone jerked Lea from her concentration and her eyes snapped open. Mulder was rushing to the window to get someone’s attention as Dana answered the call and placed it on speaker.

“Scully.” She answered.

 _“Ah, Little Red Riding Hood.”_ That voice had haunted Lea’s nightmares for a very long time but she managed to keep silent. _“Feeling better I hope.”_

“Doctor Miles, I can’t say that this is a pleasure.”

Miles laugh echoed through the speaker, _“has Goldie Locks turned up yet? I bet she has.”_

“Lea’s dead.” Dana hissed, putting enough emotion into that sentence, just enough to ensure he would believe her. Lea never prayed, but she did then. She prayed this man would believe her.

 _“A little birdie told me otherwise. I’ve been keeping tabs on my little prize for a long time Red. I know she’s alive. I know she’s back. Happy hunting girls.”_ The line went dead.

Lea stared at Dana; her fear perfectly written on her face. “There are only a very few people who knew who I am, what I was running from and where I was running to.” Lea whispered. “I always thought there was something off about her but never thought she’d do this.”

“Who?” Mulder was there, his arms were around her. Maybe he was more perceptive than she had initially thought.

“Special Agent Diana Fowley.” Lea let the darkness wash her away as her terror finally weakened her body and she fainted in Mulder’s arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Mulder held on to the limp woman as he stared at Scully, “alright, now what’s going on?” He asked as he slowly rested Lea on the floor, moving to slowly put her in the recovery position and checked her pulse. Working with Scully has rubbed off on him in more ways than one.

“Lea is a very close friend of mine. We had some trouble a few years ago and it almost cost her her life. She was safer under the radar, so she was placed in protective custody and lived her life under a different name. She was drafted into the FBI and she lived safely.” Scully explained, “a year ago I got notification that the group who had been chasing her had all died, so I told her to come home and arranged a transfer with Skinner so she could remain as an FBI agent and come home. I thought Miles was dead until this case. I didn’t recognise him until he called while I was trying to focus on a cure.” Scully shifted as Mulder listened. He couldn’t believe it, there was something about Scully he never knew.

“It was safer for you not to know Mulder,” she answered his next question. “I couldn’t risk her life like that.”

“But you two remained in touch?” Mulder asked.

Scully nodded, “I couldn’t just cut her off completely so she designed a secure way for us to communicate without either of us being detected. There was only a handful of people who know what was going on and why she was in protective custody, me and Agent Fowley included. I would never give her up, but it appears that Diana has.”

Mulder rubbed his face harshly, he knew Diana could be a cold-hearted bitch at times, but he never thought that she would endanger a life like that.

The groan from Lea took his attention as he helped her come back around, “hey sleepy head.” He smiled. He didn’t know why but there was something about this woman. Something familiar.

“Damn it, did I really just faint in a guy’s arms?” Lea rose to a seated position, embarrassment as clear as day all over her face.

“Yes,” Scully answered and giggled. Scully actually giggled. Mulder swore to himself that he would do whatever he could to hear that sound again.

“Well, at least it was a hot guy and not your brother.” Lea moved slowly, ignoring Mulder’s offer to help.

 _Yep, independent._ Mulder though as he stood at watched the two women, he sighed and shook his head, “I still don’t understand why he targeted you though Scully.”

“Because she said no,” Lea answered instead and shrugged, “Tim Miles hates it when a woman says no. thinks he’s God’s gift and all that crap. Dana is a beautiful woman, which I am more than certain you’ve noticed, and she said no.” Lea was sat in the chair again, hugging her legs close to her, actually looking like a small child. Mulder felt protective towards her in that instant but he didn’t really understand why. He didn’t want to question it any further.

“Agent Mulder,” Skinner’s voice pulled him away from the two women and he turned to face his boss, he didn’t even hear the man enter.

“Skinner. We should really put a bell on you.” Mulder joked.

“I don’t have time for your jokes right now Agent Mulder, we have a location on Doctor Miles.”

“He’ll already be gone, either that or it’s a false lead.” Lea spoke up but was looking at Scully. “Tell me everything that’s happened in this case of yours because something is telling me that he set it all up.”

“Mulder, do you still have those files?” Scully asked and Mulder went to retrieve them, but Skinner’s voice got their attention once more.

“How do you know this, and who are you?” He demanded of Lea.

Lea in turn watched him closely, “Special Agent Lea Harkness, transferred from the Seattle office. I start as the main profiler and lab tech in the DC office from next week. I have yet to know who the officer in charge is, but right now I don’t care.” Lea hadn’t moved and Mulder watched the interaction closely, this woman had balls. “Doctor Tim Miles is a master at deception, and not only that but he has an agent on the inside, feeding him details that he should not have known, and because of that, Agents Mulder and Scully are in great danger. Not to mention myself. So, for me to actually work out how to stop him, I need to know everything about the case.”

She turned to Mulder then and he was surprised. He has never seen anyone speak to Skinner in such a way before, although he does so on a regular basis, he never thought he’d see it in someone else.

Mulder turned to Skinner with a questioning luck and finally received a nod of approval. “There was an outbreak of an unknown virus in a small town,” Mulder began and handed over the files to Lea. “The state of arousal in each victim was heightened to such an extent that the heart failed, killing them as they tried to release their pent-up energy.”

Lea took the files and he watched as she scanned them quickly. “Alien pheromones my arse.” She muttered and Mulder realised how quiet the room went as Lea throw down page after page. Mulder noticed that she wasn’t even reading them, she was dropping them way to quickly. Once the last paper was on the floor, she closed her eyes and rested her chin against her knees. Mulder went to continue but Scully stopped him with a raised finger and a shake of her head.

He didn’t understand it but he trusted her, with everything and anything, so he waited.

“Pen and paper.” Lea finally spoke after what felt like a millennium. Mulder was leaning against the window as Skinner had taken the seat opposite Lea. Mulder watched how Skinner had kept an eye on the new woman in the room, he was transfixed. By her beauty or work ethic, he didn’t quite know.

Mulder moved and passed over his work pad and a pen and watched as she scribbled something and pass it to Scully. “He found it and used it.” Lea whispered and he watched as Scully’s face paled.

“Scully?” He asked and moved forward; something wasn’t right.

“Lea, how could he?” She asked instead and Lea had just shrugged.

“How much do you trust these people Dana?” Lea replied, Mulder was as lost as he was when she first came into the room. He hated being lost.

“I trust these men with my life Lea.” Mulder’s heart sand and he couldn’t help but grin at Scully’s words. He even noticed Skinner had a slight reaction to them too.

“Do you trust them with mine?”

“Yes.” Scully hadn’t skipped a beat and Mulder watched as Lea deflated in the chair, looking like a lost little girl. His heart went out to her.

“Fine,” Lea breathed and looked at Mulder then at Skinner. Mulder noticed she lingered a little on Skinner, but he dismissed that for now. “I’m an empath. I can feel emotions from other people, I can project my own onto others too. I don’t understand how it works; it just does. After a long time, I have been able to create a mental block so I am not bombarded with a thousand and one emotions every second of the day. Someone found out.”

“Miles,” Mulder whispered and received a glare from Scully. He shrugged and mouthed an apology as Lea continued.

“Yes, but there was a group of them. I was training in medical with Dana when we met Tim Miles. He seemed sweet and caring, but I fell for Bill whereas Dana just wasn’t interested. He didn’t like that so he stalked us both and somehow, he found out about me and what I could do. He took me and experimented on me. I though it was something to do with the brain function and the unused part of it, but by these notes it isn’t.” Lea shuddered and held herself tighter as Mulder listened, carefully cataloguing all the details that he could. “According to Miles, there is something in my DNA that allows this to happen. He had managed to isolate it and was using the town as an experiment ground, hidden under a government agenda. Once he had what he needed, he got you two involved. He had to make it appear like an X File so you two would be infected too. He left plenty of hints in his notes for the cure, but he never thought that you’d survive it.” She looked at Mulder then, the sadness in her eyes shocked him.

“Me?” He didn’t understand.

“Yes, you. You have to understand that Miles is a jealous man and he does not take no for an answer, so when he wants something or someone, he does everything he can to get that. He will take out whoever he needs to in order to have Dana all to himself and he wants to control me in such a way that I project onto Dana so she can no longer say no.” Lea finished. Mulder was flabbergasted. He had heard of empaths before but this was a little too much.

“So, you’re saying that doctor Miles has managed to isolate a part of your DNA that projects and he used that to project the highest amount of arousal in a town full of innocent people, just to get us there and to kill me?” Mulder shook his head, “I believe in a lot of things, but this sounds too crazy, even for me.”

He looked at Skinner who hadn’t really said much, and he still kept quiet.

“You’re feeling lost and confused, unfocused and not in control. You also have a hidden feeling of shame and embarrassment and something else, but I won’t divulge that. That one is not my secrete to tell.” Lea answered and Mulder watched as she turned to Skinner, “you on the other hand are concerned for my well being and mental health, your intrigued and …” Lea blushed and looked away, “well, you believe me and think I’m pretty.”

Mulder forced a laugh and shook his head; he had never seen Skinner blush before. It was something that he would possible be able to hold over him, just in a friendly banter sort of way.

“Well, I guess that settles it then,” Mulder turned to Scully with a warm smile. He thought he knew what secrete Lea would divulge and he was internally grateful for that at least. “What do we do about Agent Fowley?”

“Agent Fowley?” Skinner asked as he stood, “what’s she have to do with this?”

“She told Doctor Miles everything.” Lea answered, “it’s because of her our lives are in mortal danger.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet
> 
> Chapter posted from my phone

Lea was emotionally drained and tired after exposing herself like that. She had to lower her walls just a bit to focus in order to read the two men in the room so she was able to feel the reactions of everyone to the name Diana Fowley. She groaned and held her head as she rebuilt the walls around her. Phoenix would be proud. She ignored the questions of concern until she was able to ignore the dull ache in her head.   
  


“Sorry, but you three gave me a migraine.” She hissed and stood to stretch her aching muscles. “Dana, your stubbornness is going to get you into trouble,” she looked at her friend with a raised brow and folded her arms across her chest.   
  


“Seriously?” Dana replied with a look of her own. Lea felt a push against her walls and she heaved a sigh.   
  


“You’re both as stubborn as each other. No matter what you believe Dana, it’s never what you think.”

”Alright, cut the bull shit!” The taller, handsome male spoke up. His voice demanded attention. Didn’t Mulder say his name was Skinner?

”Skinner?” She asked out loud. “As in Assistant Director Walter Skinner?”   
  


“Yes,” he rose to his feet. Lea watched as Mulder walked around them, Sharing a non-verbal communication with Dana. How could they be so blind?

”Why did you ask who I was when you’re the one who helped with my transfer and get my life back? It was because of you I didn’t have to do Quantico again.” She watched as realisation dawned on him. It was quite fascinating.   
  


“I was a bit preoccupied.” His phone rang just then and Lea watched him leave as he answered it. She then turned to the couple in the room. Well, as good as anyway.   
  


“How do you know Diana?” She asked them both and watched them closely. Their feelings towards that woman were strong enough to penetrate the walls she had made. She’ll need to speak with Phoenix to ask for help to strengthen them.   
  


“It’s a long story.” Dana muttered and Mulder looked guilty. Lea sighed and shook her head.   
  


“She can ... No ... she **will** use that against you.” Lea went to Dana’s bedside and held her hand. “I’m sorry Dana, but you have to let it go.” She looked at Mulder then and gave him a sad smile, “so do you.”   
  


“What?” Mulder sounder agitated. She hated this part of her curse. She tries to help but always gets burned. She should’ve kept quiet. “What the hell do you know?” Oh. Angry now. Damn it.   
  


Lea was getting wound up a bit herself. She couldn’t help it. She squeezed Dana’s hand and glared at the man before her, “when you hear her name you remember how it once felt. You want to keep that feeling because you can never come to terms with what you’re really feeling about her. But it’s there. Hidden deep inside and so strong I can feel it through my walls. You hate her. Not for what she’s done to you but for what she’s done to Dana. You’re so hell bent on wanting to remember who she once was that it shows every time you hear her name or see her. You’re breaking Dana’s heart and you don’t even know it!” She didn’t shout but she was so angry her voice started to come out as a hiss. She turned to Dana then;

”and you’re so damn jealous of her that you can’t think straight and you’re to damn stubborn to realise it. She knows how you feel about him and she will use that to get what she what’s. Stop being so damn stubborn and tell him before you lose the best damn thing you could ever have.” She raised Dana’s hand and gave it a gentle kiss as a way of apology, “I need some air.”

Lea left them staring at her. It was their own damn fault anyway. They have to come to terms with what ever that is or they’ll all end up dead.   
  


She needed to meditate. Badly. Maybe Phoenix can help her relax.   
  


-0-

Dana watched her friend leave, her voice stuck in her throat as tears filled her eyes. She knew Lea was right, and after everything they’ve been through, especially since that last case, don’t they at least owe it to themselves to be truthful?   
  


“Mulder,” she reached for his hand to get his attention. “After searching for the truth for so long, why must we hide it from each other?” She asked him. His eyes widened a bit, she swore she saw hope there for a second before it vanished.   
  


“Hide what?” Mulder whispered. She just smiled and tugged his hand a little, her free one searching for his face.   
  


He leaned into her touch and her heart monitor gave away her nervousness. “I don’t want to hide anymore.” She replied, leaning up to reach him.   
  


Finally. At long last. Their lips met. It was gentle, just a light pressure. She wanted to give him the chance to pull away, to tell her she read it all wrong. Instead, his hand came to hold her neck softly, his thumb running against her skin as he applied more pressure. She opened her lips in response, letting him in. Letting her walls down. Finally, she knew what it was like kissing Agent Fox Mulder and it was better than she could have ever dreamed of.   
  


They pulled apart after a few moments, both needing to breath. Scully felt his head rest against her own, his whispered words softly reaching her ears. A moment she never wants to forget;

”I don’t want to hide anymore either, Scully.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just settling into the new place. Here's another chapter for you. 
> 
> I do hope you enjoy it.

Lea had managed to find herself a small prayer room in the hospital. She wasn’t stupid, she knew she had to stay close to Dana. Her room was being protected, no doubt that they would have an agent cover her when she left. It was the most logical thing to do anyway. Although she’d put up a fight, she can look after herself after all. Man, her head hurt. Too many emotions and her walls were weakening.

She took a seat on the floor of the small room and crossed her legs, she rested her hands against her knees, palms down and dropped her head to her chest. She closed her eyes and focused her breathing, taking deep inhales and exhaling slowly, until she found herself in a trance like state. Her body lifted from the floor a few inches as she meditated, her breathing became slow and gentle, and her mind drifted to the spirit plane of existence, getting her soul ready for the next lesson.

-0-

_Lea opened her eyes, the room she had found was wavering around her. It was like she knew where she was but it was just out of focus a little, the voices of the nurses and doctors moving in the hallway beyond the room were nothing but gentle echoes, her body moved freely. She turned and she saw herself and chuckled. It was something she would never get used to, seeing herself float so steadily while she meditates._

_“Hello my dear friend.” The voice called out to her and Lea turned and grinned as Phoenix appeared in all his glory beside her. He was a massive bird, his feathers glittering with pure gold, but his tail shorn a bright red. A phoenix in spirit and in name._

_“Phoenix, long time no see.” Lea grinned and watched as he made his way to her shoulder, shrinking to a more comfortable size. Lea reached up and ran her fingers across his feathers in greeting, her own mark shining just beneath her top._

_“What is it this time Lea, you only come to me when you are very troubled.” Phoenix replied, his voice melting away her troubles._

_“Hey, you told me no friendly visits.” Lea moved around the room and noticed how it became harder to see, the mist appearing from nowhere and encircled them both._

_“That’s only because it drains you so much, you are an easy target at the moment, and you will be weakened from these sessions. It is only to benefit yourself and help you become stronger. Become the warrior you are meant to be.”_

_“Phoenix, I’m an empath, I keep telling you this. I am nothing more, nothing less and I will not force people to feel things they don’t already feel. I never wanted this curse in the first place.”_

_Phoenix sighed sadly, “my dearest friend, you are more than an empath. There is more to you than just feelings and levitation, I have told you this many times.”_

_Lea sighed and looked around herself once more, “my mental walls, they’re cracking.” Around her were thick glass panels, each one with feather like cracks in them. Through the glass she could see the world beyond, in shadows and whispers. The doctors, the nurses, the visitors and the patients, all walking by on the other side of the glass. They’re thoughts and feelings bouncing back off, but some slowly leaking through the cracks. “Phoenix, I need to strengthen these walls. I can’t focus on my work, if I am feeling a thousand things that are not my own. I need them to withstand the strongest of emotions, but be weak enough for me to focus on one at a time, so I can do the job that I currently have.”_

_“To be a better profiler and field agent for the FBI?” Phoenix fluttered from her shoulder and landed with grace on the ground. Lea followed suit and sat in front of her spirit guide, she smiled sadly._

_“I know you want me to be some kind of warrior, to save humanity from the same fate as your own people, but I don’t know if I can. Even if you teach me everything you know about my birth right …”_

_“You were not born with this Lea.” Phoenix interrupted, “you were chosen.”_

_Lea stopped and starred, her mouth hanging open in shock. “But … but I … I’ve had this for as long as I can remember.”_

_“And we both know you can remember nothing before the age of 14” phoenix flapped his wings and the door appeared. Lea breathed a deep sigh. Every time she needed strength for her walls or for her empathic abilities, she would need to open the door to release more of her power. This would result in something new that she would have to control. First it was the feelings and the emotions, then came the ability to make others feel the emotions. This one would better be described as making others feel emotions and thoughts that they already feel, but buried deep within themselves. Lea refused to use this power against anyone. Not only was it unethical, it bloody hurt. Her other ability was levitation, if she concentrated just enough, she could levitate a few inches from the ground. She was working one increasing this, it would come in handy when out of the field during cases._

_“So, what will it be this time?” Lea asked as she stood to face the door, Phoenix found his spot on her right shoulder once again. If he could smile, he most certainly would. Although, lea always heard the amusement when he spoke in her mind._

_“I cannot be sure what comes next, this is the first time I have had to do these teachings one by one. Having it all unload in your human mind could kill you.”_

_“Gee, thanks. This is always the highlight of our meetings. Don’t do too much or my brain fries. Can’t have too much power at once or my tiny human brain fries.” Lea laughed and shook her head. “This bit always scares me Phoenix, I’m an empath. What other emotionally charged power could there be?”_

_“As I have said Lea, you are more than just an empath. If you are wanting the walls repaired, or strengthened, you have to open the door.” Phoenix whispered so softly inside her mind. She could always feel him, whether she was here or back home._

_“Right, yes. Open the door.” The fear was rolling off of her, the fear of the unknown, fear of being found. Just fear._

_Her hand reached out towards the door, the frame itself was bursting with light, a strange echo bouncing around the room. She took a deep breath and grasp at the cool handle; the door was vibrating as it always did. Phoenix never said anything but he was always there, giving her the silent encouragement. Lea focused like he had taught her, she imagines stronger walls to protect her from the strongest emotions, she focused her entire being on making them strong enough to withstand the bombardment of those emotions, but also weak enough to allow her to control what she feels from others and who she feels from. Then she opened the door._

_The light surrounded her and she gasped at its warmth. The walls around her shook and shattered, glass shards scattering in all directions, the walls being replaced with thick brick-built walls. The mist shifted and began to clear and the prayer room was coming into view. It became a lot clearer than it normally was when she was in her trance state. It was actually becoming as clear as it would if she was actually back in her body, back in the land of the living._

_“Phoenix?” Lea was beginning to panic, maybe she was drifting too far from her body, what if she cannot get back._

_“Ah, astral-projection.” Phoenix muttered in her mind; his vice was filled with awe. “This is rare, especially among humans. You must be stronger than we first thought.”_

_Something flashed before her, a fleeting memory, “this had happened before. Before I met you, or before you found me.” Lea circled the room, trying hard to bring back the memory._

_“Be careful Lea, you may not be ready for your past to come back just yet.” Phoenix warned but the memory surfaced and the room began to change once again._

_She was 14 years old, running through some trees, laughing and playing with other children. They were not physical beings either, they appeared to be see-through and sparkling, like starlight. They laughed and played until she saw herself turn, she was running, her laughter echoing around her as she watched as she ran into an older man’s arms. Lea watched as they wrapped around her and the memory faded, she was back in the hospital prayer room, her breathing was coming in short, sharp gasps. She couldn’t focus, she couldn’t breathe._

_“Phoenix…” She panicked._

_She suddenly felt the pull of her body and she snapped back into place._

_The force of it knocked her of kilter, her head hurt and her nose was bleeding. She couldn’t breathe._

_She was alone, she had asked the staff not to disturb her, not to let anyone disturb her. She was alone and she couldn’t breathe._

_-0-_

_‘Dana. Can’t breathe. Bad meditation. Prayer Room, no distractions. No alarms. Help. Me.’_

Lea sent the text as she rested a shaking hand to her nose, she tried to focus on one spot on the ceiling, but she couldn’t. The room was spinning out of control, her chest was beginning to hurt. Black spots were appearing in the corner of her eyes.

The sound of the door opening appeared so far away and she was suddenly surrounded, she couldn’t focus. Her vision was blurring, but the oxygen mask was a welcomed gift. She was able to focus and try to breath. Her eyes closed, her lips tingled and her head hurt. Her nose was still bleeding, it didn’t really want to stop.

Lea needed to sleep, to process, to think.

So she did, she welcomed the oxygen and welcomed the darkness that swallowed her whole.


	6. Chapter 6

The text alert on Scully’s phone brought her back to her senses. She had been running through some theories with Skinner, while Mulder had been told to go get coffee. Scully threatened him with refusal of kissing if he didn’t leave her side to get a drink and a clean. It was enough to make him move. Scully had grinned when it actually worked and had been about to rest herself when Skinner came to join her and pick at her brains about Miles. They still haven’t been able to catch him.

They were discussing the agents outside her hospital room when her phone pinged with a text message. The words on her screen made her pale and she pressed the call button for the nurses. They didn’t come quick enough. So, she kept pressing with more urgency, “Nurse!!” she called out as she pressed the button. Was anyone even at their damn station!?

“Agent Scully?” Skinner became concerned but Scully ignored him for now. Finally, a nurse had appeared, she didn’t seem to be in any kind of hurry and it made Scully angry. Her closest friend was struggling and the nurses can’t be bothered to move quick enough. 

“Nurse, my friend is having a major panic attack in one of the prayer rooms on this floor. She can’t breathe, she hyperventilates when she panics. I don’t know how long she’s been in this state so I have no idea how long her brain has been without enough oxygen. She needs oxygen now!” Scully snapped and saw Skinner was on his feet. He had made his way out of Scully’s room and she could hear him grabbing the attention of any hospital staff he could come across, relaying the information he had just heard.

Scully was not able to relax, even when the nurse hurried from her room to locate Lea. Even when Mulder returned with fresh coffee and damp hair (‘he must have used the hospital showers,’ she thought lightly), she wouldn’t relax. Mulder took her hand and looked at her, the unasked question on his face. “Scully?”

Scully gripped his hand tightly, “Lea’s having some difficulty breathing, it just took a while for the nurses to respond to me. Skinner went on ahead. I haven’t heard anything back yet.”

“She’ll be ok.” Mulder replied, raised her hand to his lips. She relaxed at his touch, but the heart monitor gave her away. She would not fully relax until she had news.

It felt like forever and a day before Skinner finally came back to her room, he looked a little flustered, “we found her, she’s currently on oxygen, resting a couple of rooms up from you. She’s passed out, but she’s breathing properly now. I have a couple of agents on guard outside of her room as well.”

Scully finally relaxed into the pillows. Her friend was ok, she was going to be alright.

“The doctor wants to keep her in over night for observation and she’d like to run some tests. The nose bleed had them worried, but they were able to stop the bleeding.”

Scully sighed, “she’s not going to like that. She hates having to go through any sort of medical tests. They’ll not find anything anyway. This happens after she’s had a bad meditation.” Scully whispered and closed her eyes tightly; she used her free hand to run at the bridge of her nose. She would always be rational about these instances, there were many times Scully had begged Lea to get some help, to get some tests done, especially after the bad ones, but they never did find anything. Lea had just said it was due to random memory fluctuations that her body, mind and soul were not ready to reconcile yet. After everything she had seen working with Mulder, can she really decline Lea’s theories?

“Scully?” Mulder was still by her side, where he always belonged. “I’m ok, just glad Lea’s alright.” Scully shifted, lifting herself up slowly, her chest still hurt, and she was told not to get herself over excited, her heart was still recovering. “I just can’t wait to go home.”

“Just a few more nights, I’m sure they’ll let you go home.” Mulder placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, lingering longer than he normally would. Skinner just cleared his throat.

Scully smiled at Mulder then turned towards their boss, “maybe you could repeat what you’ve told me, just for Mulder’s benefit.”

Skinner just shrugged, his frown deepened, “Special Agent Diana Fowley has gone AWOL. No one knows where she is and she hasn’t been seen since Lea returned to the DC area. I have had my department run some checks into Lea’s witness protection program, to see who else knows who she was and what her story was. I have a list of five people, Agent Scully and Agent Fowley were on that list. Along with myself and Deputy Director Kirsh. There is also a Special Agent Philip Philipson. There was a rumour of a relationship between him and Lea, but nothing concrete. He has been called in for questioning, along with myself and you Agent Scully. Kirsh has already been interviewed.”

Skinner took a breath and Scully watched as he began to pace the room, she was sure she had heard some jealous resentment when he spoke Philipson’s name, Lea mentioned him one or twice. It was just a drunken fling and Philipson became clingy, but she won’t tell the men that. They may end up becoming fearlessly protective of her, just as Scully was. Skinner continued;

“In response to the report out for Doctor Miles, there has been a thousand anonymous tips called in, which have all been followed up on as much as possible but we do not have the man power at the moment. I need you and Lea to bring your heads together and give me everything you can on this Doctor Miles, and where he would be held up if he is hiding. And Agent Mulder, I need you to create a profile on Special Agent Fowley.” Scully winced and turned her head away; she was sure Skinner noticed but she didn’t care. She felt Mulder tense. “I can see it’s a tough subject, but it needs to be done. I need whatever you can give me and I needed it yesterday, two of my agents have been hospitalised and three of my agents’ lives are at risk and I will not tolerate it.”

Scully squeezed Mulder’s hand and got him to focus on her. She spoke to him without saying a word, letting him know she was there for him, she would listen to him, she would help him no matter how much it hurt her. She will go to the end of the Earth for him and back again, she would follow him into the abyss and shine a light into the shadows. She’d give up her life for him if he asked her to. She let Mulder see all this and more and finally, when he relaxed, she smiled at him and nodded.

“Alright Skinman, you’ll have it,” Mulder answered and the three settled in a comfortable silence, only breaking it to make light conversation. Scully’s mood lifted even more when Lea entered her room look tired and withdrawn, but smiling wide.

“Hey Dana, I’m back!” she squealed, her voice strained but it was enough to have them all laughing and forgetting for a few hours of the dangers that faced them in the outside world.

It was getting late and the nurses had to drag Lea back to her own bed and had to dismiss Skinner as visiting hours were over, but Mulder had stayed with Scully under the disguise of being her protection for the night. Scully was secretly glad that the nurses didn’t say anything about it and allowed him to stay in the room with her. She would not have slept if he wasn’t beside her, and she will refuse to admit that ever, she’ll take that to the grave with her if she had to.

Scully slept soundly with Mulder by her side, she had managed to move over and there was just enough room for him at the very edge of the bed. She felt his arms around her and she relaxed into his embrace as she slept.

Unbeknown to our little group of FBI agents, danger was lurking just around the corner, its claws closing slowly, ready to swallow them whole forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post as much as I can but I'll be back at work soon :P
> 
> I hope you guys like it so far


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay  
> Writer's block for an age and then lockdown and then I have moved house and then I wasn't well for a period of time [I'm ok now] 
> 
> So here's the next instalment. This will be slow going so please, be patient with me

The vision came back to her as she slept. Yes, she was 14 years old and yes, the man had held her like he knew her, but as she looked at him closely, he faded into a young adult male.

“I’ve been searching for you my whole life.” He whispered and she smiled, she knew she was safe with him, and yet she did not know him.

The image changed again and he began to blur as he became older, and yet, she remained young. Before she could get a clear image of his face, Lea woke in a cold sweat, the heart monitors giving away her discomfort. She didn’t understand, it felt like a memory and yet, it couldn’t be. She couldn’t focus on this problem alone.

So, she did what she would always do in this situation, she climbed out of bed, pulled off all monitors from her chest and carefully removed the needle in her hand, she then climbed from the bed and headed to Dana’s room. She needed her closest friend to help her with her problem. Lea didn’t care that she was somehow wearing a hospital gown and not the leathers she had worn earlier that morning. Although, the upside to that was that she didn’t feel like she was constantly overheating. She would be happier when her things were delivered to her new apartment. Especially her car, more importantly, her air-conditioned car.

Lea opened the door to Dana’s room and smiled at the site that was before her. She gave them a couple of seconds before she closed the door a little louder than was necessary, causing Fox to jump from his sleep, role from the bed and pull his gun. He stumbled on his landing and Lea giggled at the sight of it, “some protection power you have there Dana.” Lea moved and sat on the edge of Dana’s bed and held her friend’s hand in her own with a warm smile.

“Lea, it’s almost 4 in the morning.” Dana grumbled and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her free hand, Fox had made his way to the chair beside the bed, keeping them both in his sights no doubt.

“I need your help, I can’t focus on this alone, not one this big.” Lea got straight to the point, Dana was more believing when she was tired anyway.

“Go on …” Dana muttered but kept her arm covering her eyes, Lea chuckled softly.

“The vision I had. I was 14, but this was before I lost everything. Before I was at the orphanage and before Aunt Mags. It was strange, I was playing with other children my age, they shined like the stars, but there was a man there, but not a man. As I looked closer, he could have easily been in his late teens, possibly early 20’s. But she shifted from that to a young boy and back again. Then he turned into a man again. Like a fully grown man. I couldn’t see his face; it was blurred but I don’t understand what I am supposed to be seeing. I though this was a memory. That I had done this whole astral projection before, but that can’t be a memory. No human could possibly change from a young boy to a teen to a man like he did.” Lea finally took a breath and slumped down against her friend. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with me.”

Before Dana could reply, Fox shift and suddenly sat straight and his eyes appeared to have glazed over, “maybe he was showing you what you have been missing.”

Lea felt Dana twitch and uncover her eyes to stare at him as well. Lea could understand he confusion, this did not sound like the bubbly, upbeat, paranoid fella she had met earlier. “Erm … Ok?” Lea tilted her head and watched him closely. It was a second or two before she snickered, “Phoenix, he’s going to be so pissed at you.”

“What …?” Dana looked between Lea and Fox and back again. Lea just shrugged.

“Maybe so, but I must insist.” Phoenix replied. It was strange coming from Fox. “Think about it carefully Lea, my child. You may not be ready to find what you had lost so long ago.”

“But what if I am? Why show me something like that and tell me not to push it any further? That’s like showing a child some sweets and telling them not to touch.”

“Because, what you saw was different from what he saw. It is a memory, but showing you the age in which you lost what you did, the age in which you had been when you returned and the age he would be now.” Fox’s head titled and his glassy eyes starred and Dana for a second, “you understand now. You know if they would be ready to find what they had lost.”

Lea watched as realisation filled Dana and she snapped back to Fox who became slumped in the chair, his body shook and he groaned. “Why does it feel like my head is having a party and I’m not invited.” He groaned and Lea was just as confused as ever.

“It’ll pass.” Spoke quickly and stood from the bed, she turned to Dana and crossed her arms. “You understand now … What’s he talking about? What do you know?”

“Lea,” Dana shifted and pulled herself up into a sitting position, the look on her face was easily read and Lea hated it. Always had done.

“I am not some china glass doll Dana.”

“Wait … What’s going on?” Fox interrupted and Lea sight with frustration and snapped back at him, without looking at him,

“You were possessed by an alien spiritual being, he gave me a message that made no sense to me what so ever, as he tried to explain why I had a vision of dancing with the stars and an ever-changing man, but Dana here knows somehow.”

“I was … What?”

“Lea, this does not just affect you.” Dana replied, and Lea just shrugged. She wasn’t budging on this and she made sure that Dana understood this. It was silent for a while before Dana just sighed, “fine. You saw a visage of you with children bathed in starlight, that was real. Well, as real as it can be anyway. I don’t know, maybe you had a shared experience with Mulder at the same time, I don’t know.”

Lea watched as Dana raised her hand to stop Fox from interrupting and she turned to face him, her eyes taking everything in as Dana spoke, “this Phoenix mentioned that he was trying to show you what you had lost, but that you may not be ready for it to be found. Phoenix inhabited Mulder for a short period of time to tell you this, Mulder, who had the same vision you had a few years ago, children dancing in starlight, where he thought he had finally found his sister and was able to put her to rest.” Dana was stepping around the issue and Lea knew it, but for good reason. Dana always had a good reason when she sounded like she was teaching a room full of excited students.

“I had a brother …” Lea whispered after the room had gone silent for way to long. “I had a brother and I lost him …”

“It’s possible you may have finally found him …” Dana whispered and Lea had not taken his eyes off of Fox the whole time.

Something clicked in her mind … Her name, she knows her name … “I’m … I … My name … My name is Samantha Lea Harkness Mulder … I always hated that name.”


End file.
